The Department of Justice has reasonable cause to believe that the Louisville/Jefferson County Metro Government (Louisville Metro) and the Louisville Metro Police Department (LMPD) engage in a pattern or practice of conduct that deprives people of their rights under the Constitution and federal law:

- LMPD uses excessive force, including unjustified neck restraints and the unreasonable use of police dogs and tasers.

- LMPD conducts searches based on invalid warrants.

- LMPD unlawfully executes search warrants without knocking and announcing.

- LMPD unlawfully stops, searches, detains, and arrests people during street enforcement activities, including traffic and pedestrian stops.

- LMPD unlawfully discriminates against Black people in its enforcement activities.

- LMPD violates the rights of people engaged in protected speech critical of policing.

- Louisville Metro and LMPD discriminate against people with behavioral health disabilities when responding to them in crisis.

We also identified deficiencies in LMPD's response to and investigation of domestic violence and sexual assault, including its responses to allegations that LMPD officers engaged in sexual misconduct or domestic violence. These deficiencies raise serious concerns about whether LMPD engages in gender bias in providing policing services to women.

Louisville Metro and LMPD exist to serve the community and keep people safe. Most Metro employees and LMPD officers are dedicated public servants who work hard to promote public safety. But Louisville Metro and LMPD fail to ensure that all employees uphold the federal constitutional and statutory rights of people in Louisville.

For years, LMPD has practiced an aggressive style of policing that it deploys selectively, especially against Black people, but also against vulnerable people throughout the city. LMPD cites people for minor offenses, like wide turns and broken taillights, while serious crimes like sexual assault and homicide go unsolved. Some officers demonstrate disrespect for the people they are sworn to protect. Some officers have videotaped themselves throwing drinks at pedestrians from their cars; insulted people with disabilities; and called Black people "monkeys," "animal," and "boy." This conduct erodes community trust, and the unlawful practices of LMPD and Louisville Metro undermine public safety.

Failures of leadership and accountability have allowed unlawful conduct to continue unchecked. Even when city and police leaders announced solutions, they failed to follow through. In LMPD, officer misconduct too often goes unnoticed and unaddressed. At times, LMPD leaders have endorsed and defended unlawful conduct. A street enforcement unit that violated LMPD policy and federal law has been repeatedly rebranded, but never disbanded.

 

Louisville Metro Police is exactly the kind of department that gives "Defund the Police" legs. 

1 minute ago, TheDeuce said:

Louisville Metro Police is exactly the kind of department that gives "Defund the Police" legs. 

I don't disagree but defunding the police is the wrong response.

I was glad to see that the highlights from the report added, "Most Metro employees and LMPD officers are dedicated public servants who work hard to promote public safety.

Attempting to come full circle here, this is a leadership issue. 

9 minutes ago, theguru said:

I don't disagree but defunding the police is the wrong response.

I was glad to see that the highlights from the report added, "Most Metro employees and LMPD officers are dedicated public servants who work hard to promote public safety.

Attempting to come full circle here, this is a leadership issue. 

I don’t agree with “Defund the Police” in terms of taking away all funding. But, there are many departments locally and nationally that continue to see increased budgets and for what? What difference is that making?

1 minute ago, TheDeuce said:

I don’t agree with “Defund the Police” in terms of taking away all funding. But, there are many departments locally and nationally that continue to see increased budgets and for what? What difference is that making?

Hopefully to train the officers better, provide the officers with the best equipment possible, and ultimately to serve the public better. 

12 minutes ago, theguru said:

Hopefully to train the officers better, provide the officers with the best equipment possible, and ultimately to serve the public better. 

But that’s not showing up on the street, especially with LMPD. Just more corruption, unethical and illegal behavior. At what point is money not the solution?

1 minute ago, TheDeuce said:

But that’s not showing up on the street, especially with LMPD. Just more corruption, unethical and illegal behavior. At what point is money not the solution?

When you have a leadership/culture issue all the money in the world won't solve the problem.

With that said, taking money away is worse...

1 minute ago, theguru said:

When you have a leadership/culture issue all the money in the world won't solve the problem.

With that said, taking money away is worse...

I’ll compromise then. Just stop giving them more and more money until the department can prove they are making use of the money they are allocated. 

If culture is a problem, and it clearly is in this case, you fire everybody contributing to the negative culture. From the Chief all the way down to a traffic cop. I don’t care if that cuts the department numbers in half. They aren’t preventing crime anyway. 

"LMPD" currently trending on Twitter.

12 hours ago, Colonels_Wear_Blue said:

"LMPD" currently trending on Twitter.

A lot of "everybody here already knew all this" comments on social media. Hopefully since it's the DOJ something different will happen this time. 

Isn't the LMPD relatively young?   Wasn't it created within the past 20 or so years, essentially combining departments?   Sometimes one of the more common themes is that these issues tend to be more prevalent in the biggest of police departments in the US.  Perhaps LMPD needs to be broken up into several smaller PD's.  Just a thought.

21 minutes ago, sportsfan41 said:

Isn't the LMPD relatively young?   Wasn't it created within the past 20 or so years, essentially combining departments?   Sometimes one of the more common themes is that these issues tend to be more prevalent in the biggest of police departments in the US.  Perhaps LMPD needs to be broken up into several smaller PD's.  Just a thought.

I would also like a full accounting of their Internal Affairs division.  What are officers "getting away with," what are they being punished for, and what are the punishments. 

25 minutes ago, sportsfan41 said:

Isn't the LMPD relatively young?   Wasn't it created within the past 20 or so years, essentially combining departments?   Sometimes one of the more common themes is that these issues tend to be more prevalent in the biggest of police departments in the US.  Perhaps LMPD needs to be broken up into several smaller PD's.  Just a thought.

"On January 6, 2003, the Jefferson County Police Department and the Louisville Division of Police merged to become the Louisville Metro Police Department. This began a long journey to combine the two departments into one. A strategic plan was developed to determine what needed to be combined, how it needed to be combined and where everyone would fit into the big picture. Many long days were ahead for the men and women working to pull this all together."

 

https://www.louisville-police.org/150/History